'Most Ideal' possible early US development path?

[Dr. Hochmeister]

The idea I was rolling with is that it's less about the ethics of enslaving others and instead on seeing slavery as a corrupting evil on political institutions(at first). From the perspective of most of the Atlantic Seaboard, the Caribbean sugar planters have monopolized what political influence the colonies have in London and are encouraging Parliament to act to their exclusive benefit with respect to trade, more say in politics, etc. that polarizes New World politics between the Caribbean planters(and those who seek to export this society onto the rest of the New World) versus those who resent the disproportionate power, wealth, and influence of these planters. These resentments manifest themselves during the Enlightenment era in OTL's USA via a stronger critique of slavery. Critiquing slavery becomes the go-to vehicle for the intelligentsia to take shots at the Caribbean planters and their perceived excess; as a result, slavery is far more universally decried on many fronts across the entire American political spectrum of the early Revolution that alienates much of the South bar Georgia, which is a free colony.

As a result of these butterflies and greater hostility to slavery, the planters are far more pro-British. Once the ARW comes around, this polarization leads to a different perspective from the American Revolutionaries who are far less shy on decrying slavery because of the Carolinas being solidly behind the British as well as large parts of Virginia. Slavery and the planters are demonized as in cahoots with King George and slavery becomes synonymous with moral depravity, not because of an inherent change of heart in the American people, but because it's the prized institution of the perceived enemy. A much more bitter ARW leads to stronger opinions on slavery being solidified and trickling down from intellectual back-and-forth to tangible ideology. By the end of the war the United States are in part defined by their anti-slavery stance. Due to the much more difficult war compared to OTL plus the fact that the slave population is overwhelmingly under British control, it's the Americans who had to make use of inciting slave revolts to bring down the British in the South. Whether inadvertent or not, America's ship is now tied to anti-slavery by the end of the war.

I'm not going to say that it's going to change American views on race overnight by any means, but I don't think it's that outlandish. The divides between the two groups were there from the very beginning of the United States, making the planters an enemy earlier when the United States is first forming a national identity should have a lasting impact. I skimmed over it earlier because it was more about achieving the OP's goal than writing a full outline, but this scenario absolutely involves threading the needle to win a much tougher ARW as a basis.

Not to mention that pre-revolution a lot of slaves from the South would likely be sucked into the hellish maw of the British Caribbean slave factories, reducing the African American population in the South. Very, very bad for said slaves of course, but an earlier end to slavery and racial integration may be easier if the supply of cheap African American labor and black majorities in the southern states aren't as strong factors tempting the Southerners into forced labor and political repression. And if the South develops industrially along a similar trajectory as the North, that's a significantly stronger and more prosperous US.

 

[NedStark]

This is more difficult to pull off than most people in this thread seem to think. OTL is almost as close to ideal as you can get in the real world. You are talking about a colonial holding that became a great power within about 75 years and a superpower within 150 or so years. It has had all of one civil war, no revolutions and no change in the form of government in all that time. It hasn't even changed constitutions in all that. Most of the problems such as slavery and racism were common throughout the planet during that time period.

With early PODs, you can shift British North American colonial holdings northwards (Canada + OTL Northeastern/Midwestern US + Virginia), with the Carolinas and Georgia being colonized by Spain. Slavery would have reduced substantially in BNA ITTL since the vast majority of the economic activities north of Virginia were not slave-based IOTL. Fewer African American slave population would have mitigated racial tension in the long run as well.

 

[Johnrankins]

With early PODs, you can shift British North American colonial holdings northwards (Canada + OTL Northeastern/Midwestern US + Virginia), with the Carolinas and Georgia being colonized by Spain. Slavery would have reduced substantially in BNA ITTL since the vast majority of the economic activities north of Virginia were not slave-based IOTL. Fewer African American slave population would have mitigated racial tension in the long run as well.

Possibly, but that just results in the slaves being owned by the Spanish. You can't reduce slavery that easily.

 

[NedStark]

Possibly, but that just results in the slaves being owned by the Spanish. You can't reduce slavery that easily.

But then those regions might no longer be part of the US, and in such case it would still count.

 

[Johnrankins]

But then those regions might no longer be part of the US, and in such case it would still count.

True

 

[Wendell]

but much less

Elaborate? Sure, territorially, the USSR was slightly smaller, and ruled some areas the empire never did, but that's not the point.

 

[VaultJumper]

Elaborate? Sure, territorially, the USSR was slightly smaller, and ruled some areas the empire never did, but that's not the point.

I was thinking more of the purges

 

[Hayden Nikerson]

I asked myself the same few years ago when I began my TL and while reading about the ARW and American politics, I found that the main factor that stagnated the United States back then was its own leadership and the rivalry between states... I think that starting on the ARW, you need at least one military leader who is a "men of his men" and doesn't care to use the continental army to scare the continental congress if their men don't get paid.

During the war, the United States produced as much iron as Great Britain if not more, and tried very hard to cover the lack of trade, so I think that there is room for an early industrialization, what you need is giving to the Congress the right to raise tariffs on importations, "Only the central government may declare war, or conduct foreign political or commercial relations." the later without recognizing the right and NEED of tariffs is nonsense. Tariffs could have aided the "Confederacy Congress" to be stable and finance itself while allowing New England and some middle states to industrialize.

And well, settle the issue about the western territories would help as well since it slowed down many negotiations, someone would have to stand and say "Connecticut isn't going to reach the Pacific, there is New York, lakes, big mountains and other stuff in the middle".

I needed a time traveler infiltrated in the Continental Congress for all of this and multiple pods.

 

[Wendell]

I was thinking more of the purges

Right, but the point is that the USSR was a different regime. If I'm say "Create an optimal Belgium" a POD before 1830 would not really satisfy this, but would satisfy "Create an optimal Catholic state in the southern Netherlands". Is any state formed out of the Thirteen Colonies going to be an optimal United States? I'd argue not, but it might be an optimal (core) North American polity.